P.O.Q.D.

The NY Times is reporting today that this week the FDA will approve the long sought-after holy grail of HIV therapy, the once-a-day pill. In a rare bit of pharma-collaboration, Bristol-Myer Squibb's Sustiva will be combined with Gilead's Truvada to create the pill. Truvada is already a two-drug pill containing Viread and Emtriva. All three drugs will be layered within the single-pill to achieve efficacy. There are a couple of 3-drug pills out there already, but these must be taken twice daily.

Doubtlessly this (albeit minor) breakthrough will cause concern among HIV-prevention activists, who already worry that contracting HIV is being trivialized in some demographics, most notably young gay men. I'll be very interested to see the ad campaign for this as-yet unnamed pill. Will it be more handsome bodybuilders climbing mountains?